Refrigerating apparatus.



W. A. RICHTER & E. S. H. BAARS.

BEFRIGERATING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FlLEDDEc. 29. 191s.

mmm Feb. 19,1918.

4 SHEETS-SHEET i.

Vfl/V T095 M fe. mitm.,

ATTFNEYE Patented EQIIIQJQIS.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

ATTRNEYE w. A.. RICHTER M. s. H. AAs.

REFRIGERATING APPARATUS.

APPLlcATloN FILED usc. 29. |916.

A925-73, Patented' Feb. 19m

)NVE/wams M'Sff; en/v3 ATTOQ/viyg W. A. RICHTER & E. S. H. BAARS.

vREI-'RIGRATING APPARATUS.

4ATTQ'EY r MILWAUKEE, wisconsin; sain BAARS ASSIGNOR TO SAlD RICHTER..

REFRIGEBATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented t9, 1918.

Application led December 29, 1916. Serial No. 139,519.

' To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, WILLIAM A. RICH- TER and ERNEST S. H. BAARS, citizens of the United States, and residents of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Refrigerating Apparatus, of which the following is a description, reference being had to the accompanyinv drawings, which are a part of this specication.

The invention relates to refrigerating apparatus. The invention is more particularly designedto provide a refrigeratin unit for domestic use and one which lmaygbe readily installed in an ordinary ice-box, though it may be used for other purposes.

The invention is further ldesigned to provide a refrigerating apparatus which is mounted on the top of an ordinary ice-box,

a hole being cut in the top of the ice-receiving compartment of the ice-box to allow the cooling coils to be disposed within said compartment. l A further feature of the invention is the construction and arrangement of the parts of the device to form a simple, compact and i etlcient apparatus. The invention further consists in the several features hereinafter set forth and more particularly pointed out by claims at the conclusion hereof.

In 'the drawings: A Figure 1 is an elevational view of the device showing it applied to an ice-box;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view through the device, parts being broken away;

Fig. 3 is a section'on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2; Fig. 4 is a 'section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2; I Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5- 5 of Fig. 1; l

Fig. 6 is a section on ythe line 6--6 of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a section on the line 7-7 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 3; Fig. 9 is a section on the line 9,--9 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 10 is a section taken on the line 10-10 of Fig. 8;

Fig. 11 is a section taken on the line 11-11 of Fig. 8.

In general the device comprises a support, a gas chamber, a compressor located therein, means for driving` the compressor, a'con-l denser, a receiver, an expansion chamber?, cooling or evaporative coils, and valves and connections between the parts ofthe device to circulate the refrigerant "therethrough,y any suitableyrefrigerant being used, as for instance methyl chlorid. Y l The support for the device consists of a square metal base plate 15 having an upper cylindrical boss 16,a lower cylindrical boss 17, and side flanges 18. A s shown in Fig. l an opening 19 is made in the top of the ice'box'go and the flanges 18 resting on the 7o top of the box serve to mount the device thereon.

A gas chamber 21 is formed by the cylin-` drical upper hood or casing 22, the flange portion 23 of which rests upon the boss 16 75 of the platel. v

lThe expansion chamber 24' is formed by a cylindrical lower hood or casing 25, the Harige portion 26 of which is seated adjacent the boss 17 and both the upper and lower 80 'l casings are secured to the plate 15 by bolts 27. p The compressor isof very compact construction and consists of a plurality of cylinders 28 formed integral with theV plate 15 85 and having bores29 extending radial-ly from the center of the plate, pistons 30 slidably-mou'nted .within the bore of said cylinders, inlet and outlet valves, and means for operating the pistons, Figs. 2 and 3. 90 The inlet and outlet valves for each of the compressor cylinders are both mounted on a cylindrical valve member 31 having a circumferential groove 32, a discharge outlet 33 connecting the interior of the cylin- 95 der with the gas chamber, a right angled inlet 34connect1ng the upper part ofthe interior of the cylinder with the groove 32, Figs. 2, and 8 to-11. A spring plate inlet valve 35' is mounted in a recess in the mem- 100 ber '31 Vand secured to said member by a pin 36. A spring plate outlet valve 37 is mounted in a recess in the member 31 and secured to said member by a pin 38. Duets 39 in the plate 15 connect the expansion 105 chamber with the grooves 32 so that the gas may be drawn from the expansion chamber into the compressors. Each member 31 is seated in the bore of the cylinder.` and held against a shoulder thereof by a hollow screwv cally disposed revoluble shaft 43, arc-shaped` flanged pitmen 44 each pivotally connected to its respective .piston by a pin 45 and having its other arc-shaped end 46 abutting against the periphery of the eccentric 42 and having its flanged portions 47 resting upon the top of said eccentric, said pitmen being operatively connected to said eccentric byl an annular rlng 48 having a peripheral l liange 49 which engages over the pitmen. v

The lower end o the shaft 43 has an end thrust bearing 50 formed in the plate 15 and is further mounted in a bearing box 51 formed integral with the casing 22. It is y very important to have the running parts of the device properly oiled and at the same time to keep the oil from mixing with the refrigerant and to this 'end the plate 15 is provided with an annular recess 52, the eccentric 42 with an inclined arcuate slot 54- forming a scoop to move the oil from the recess 52 up over the ring and pitmen and` the shaft 43'also has a special housing in the casing 22. This housing consists of the box 51, previously mentioned, provided with a self-adjustingstuiingbox consisting of a packing 53, a washer 54 held against said packing by a spring 55 surrounding said shaft which also acts against a packing 56 and a bearing plug 57. This housing for the shaft is designed to keep it lubricated but to prevent lubrication passing through the box 51 and the gas from passing out of the'gas chamber. lt will be noted that the ring 48 is held against endwise movement with respect to the shaft bearing box 51 and the eccentric 42.

The means for driving the compressor comprises a vertically disposed electric motor 58 having'v its shaft 59 directly connected through a flexible coupling 60 to the shaft '43, the motor being mounted on a stand 61l formed integral with the top casing 22. While we prefer the vertical disposition and direct connection of the motor with the vertical compressor shaft 43 it will be unl derstood lthat a motor of the horizontal type might be used and suitably connectedto t 1e 604 shaft 43 through gearing or otherwise. l.The construction shown however is preferable because ofv its simplicity and compactness.

through from the bottom to'the'upper part of said coil 63. By this arrangement the gas or liquid refrigerant leaving'the condenser is brought into contact with that part of the cooling coil through which the coldest water is flowing to obtain the most eiicient operation and require a minimum of power to perform the required work of re- 'frigeration llhe receiver 65 is connected to the expansion chamber 24 by a pipe 67 and the flow of refrigerant into the expansion chamber is controlled by an expansion valve.

The expansion valve may be of any suitable construction and the one herein shown is of the pressure controlled type. sists of a valve member 68 having a bore 69 therein communicating with the pipe 67 and a passage 70 leading from said bore, small at its point of connection with said bore and enlarged to receive in threaded engagement the movable threaded valve stem 71 whose end is adapted to seatagainst member 68 at the constricted parts of the passage 70 to shut oli' the passage of refrigerant, the stem 71 being rotated to open andclose the valve and von the opening of the valve the refrigerant passes into the expansion chamber 24 through a small passa e 72 communicating with the passage 70. he means for moving the stem 71 comprises a slidable plunger 73, connections between said plunger and said stem and pressure controlled means for operating the plunger. The plunger 73 is slidably mountedin a disk 74 'which is connected in abuttin relation to a disk 75 having `an extension 6 secured to the lower casin 25.

lhe connections between the plunger 73 It conand the valve stem consist ofa bell crank l lever 77 formed of two spaced apart members pivotally connected intermediate its ends to the disk 74 and carrying a roller 78 for engaging the plunger and plvotally connected at its other ends to spaced apart links 79 which in turn are pivotally connected to a yoke 80 carrying the valve stem 71.

The pressure control means for operating the plunger consists of a diaphragm 81 located in a recess 82 between the disks 74 and 75 and contacting on one side with the plunger 73 and on the other with a plunger 83 held againstsaid diaphragm by a spring 84, the pressure of which may be manually n 87 connected to the lever 77 andthe disk 7 4 moves the linkage to close the expansion valve'. By regulating the pressure of the -spring 84 by the adjustable washer 85 and rod 86 the pressure at which the diaphragm is desired to operate may beregulated.

The coolingor evaporative coils consist of a coil 88 communica-ting at its upper end with apassage 89 communicating with the expansion chamber 24 and at its lower end with a central conduit 90 leading to chamber 24 and a second coil 91 connected at its lower end to the support 90 and communicating therewith and communicating at its upper end 'with a passage 92 leading to the expansion chamber.

ln orderthat the refrigerant may be removed or replaced in the machine the conduit 90 is provided with an opening 93 having a -screw plug valve 94, Fig. 7 and for the purpose of supporting forms for making ice a plate 95 is mounted on the lower end of the support 90.

To prevent any danger of explosiondue to an abnormal pressure in the gas chamber 22 owing to the failure of the water supply to the condenser or any other cause, a safety valve 96 of suitable size is inserted in a passage 97 in the plate l5 connecting the gas chamber 22 with the vexpansion chamber 24.

The operation of the apparatus is familiar to those skilled in the art. 0n the starting of the motor and the cooling Water which may be done in any suitable way, the preferred way being by an .automatic thermostatic control the refrigerant gas is pumped bythe compressors into-the gas ,chamber and thence passes through the coil 62, cooledby the cooling water 63, thus liquefying the refrigerant which flows by the pipe 66 and the receiver 65 and from thence by the pipe v67 and the expansion valve to the expansion chamber 24v and the expansion thence through the pipe 90 and thence upwardly through the coils 88 and 91 absorbing heat while passing throueh the coils and due to this absorption gasifying again in y chamber and then sucked up by the compressors and returned to the gas chamber to repeat the operation.

From the foregoing it will be noted that we have provided a lightpcompact and simple refrigerating apparatus which is well adapted for household use as when the en- Lacasse pansion valve is once set the device will not need any attention and if any trouble should arise the devicema be readily carried away and repaired ffy workmen familiar with the machine.

We are aware that the specific construction of the device herein shown and described is capable of variation and changel and itis to be understood that such constructions as come within the scope of the appended claims are within the spirit of our l I duit communicating with the condenser and said expansion chamber, and vertically disposed cooling coils connected to and communie-ating with the expansion chamber.

2. in a refrigerating ,apparatus the combination, with a flanged base plate, of a hood connected to the top thereof forming a Igas chamber, a hood connected to the bottom thereof forming an expansion chamber, a compressor within the gas chamber and communicating with both of said chambers, a vertically disposed compressor shaft journaled in the upper hood, a support carried by the upper hood, a motor mounted thereon and connected to drive said compressor shaft, a condenser surrounding the upper hoodand communicating therewith, a vertically disposed conduit communicating with said condenser and the expansion chamber, and cooling coils connected to and communicating with and disposed 1n vertlcal alinement with said expansion chamber.

3.' lin a refrigerating apparatus, the combination, with a base plate, of a hood connected to the plate to form a gas chamber,

a drive shaft journaled in said hood, a plupansion chamber, of a compressor including a compressor cylinder, a member seated within the cylinder and having a peripheral groove therein communicating with the eX- pansion chamber and an inlet duct leading from the upper end of the groove into the compressor cylinder'and an outlet duct leading from the compressor cylinder t0 the gas chamber, and alternately o erating valves for opening and 'closing sai inlet and outlet ducts.

5. The combination, with an ice-box having an opening in its top, of a refrigerating apparatus including a 4base member provided with means for engaging the sides of said opening, a gas chamber supported upon the base member above the ice-box, an expansion chamber carried by the member within the ice-box, a condenser surrounding the gas-chamber, a supportl extending upwardly from the gas chamber, av motor mounted on said support, a compressor within the gas chamber and operatively connected to both gas and expansion chambers, a compressor drive shaftjournaled in the'gas chamber and operatively connected to said motor, vertically disposed means for conducting the refrigerant from the condenser to the expansion chamber, and vertically disposed cooling coils depending within the box below said expansion chamber and communicating therewith.

. 6. In a refrigerating machine, the combination of a base plate and a casing joined together to form a gas chamber, a drive shaft journaled in said casing and base plate, a plurality of compressor cylinders radially disposed with respect to said shaft, said base plate having an annular oil groove therein between said cylinders and said shaft, an eccentric mounted on said shaft and having an inclined arc-shaped slot therein for elevating oil fromsaid groove, pistons slidably mounted in said cylinders andl operatively connected to said eccentric, and inlet and outlet valves for each of said compressor cylinders.

7. The combination, with an ice-box having an opening in its top, of a refrigerating apparatus including a base provided with means forlsupporting the` apparatus on said ice-box, a gas chamber supported upon the base member above the ice-box, an expansion chamber carried by the member within the ice-box, a condenser lsurrounding the gaschamber, a motor mounted above the gas chamber, a compressor disposed within .the gas chamber and communicating 'therewithi. and with the expansion chamber, a vertically disposed compressor drive 4shaft journaled in the gas chamber and operatlvely cconnected to said motor, a conduit connecting the condensernwith the expansion chambei", an expansion valve in said conduit where it enters the expansion chamber, means for operating said valve, and vertically disposed cooling coils depending within the ice-box below said expansion chamber and communicating therewith.

8. The combination, with an ice-box having an opening in its top, of a refrigerating apparatus including a base provided with means for supporting the apparatus on said ice-box, a gaschamber supported upon the base member above the ice-box, an expan- Ision chamber carried by the member within the ice-box, a condenser surrounding the gas chamber, a motor mounted above the gas chamber, a compressor disposed within the gas chamber and communicating therewith and with the expansion chamber, a vertif cally disposed compressor drive shaft journaled in the gas chamber and operatively connected to said motor, a conduit connecting the condenser with the expansion chamber including a vertically disposed receiver,

an expansion valve in said conduit where it 1 enters the expansion chamber, means for operating said valve, and vertically disposed cooling coils depending within the box below said expansion chamber and communieating therewith.

9. In a refrigerating apparatus, the combination with a support, of a gas cham'- Abination with asupport, of a gas chamber mounted above and an expansion chamberbelow said support, a compressor within the gas chamber and 1n communication with said 'gasand expansion chambers, a vertically disposed shaft fordriving said compressor, a motor connected to drive` said shaft, a condenser surrounding the gas chamber and communicating therewith, a conduit communicatin .with the condenser andsaid expansion c amber, and .cooling coils disposed below and communicating -with the expansion chamber.

In ltestimony whereof, we aiiixour signatures.

WILLIAM A. RICHTER. `ERNEST S.- H. BAARS.

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